4.11.2020 - week 50 — luke macdonald

on different kinds of miracles

we love the big moment with clear resolution.

joseph interpreting the dream and being elevated to vice-king.

goliath lying facedown in the mud.

daniel looking at now calm and quiet lions

jonah out from the whale preaching to mass conversion

jesus turning that little lunch into 5000 people.

these stories encourage us by showing god’s power and his presence, but if we aren’t careful they can distract our eyes from his pattern. most of god’s miracles are like daily manna, not the miraculous catch of fish.

several times (most notably to me, john 21) the disciples go from having 0 fish to more fish than they need or could possibly utilize. jesus shows up, gently points out their foolishness, they move the nets, BOOM.

instantaneous overflow. faith grows. rinse and repeat.

during the exodus, the people of god received their daily portion of food by walking outside when they woke up and picking it up off the ground. there was enough for today and strict instructions to not take more than was needed for the day. it wasn’t rich food or impressive cuisine. it was sustenance, during their journey from what was to what god wanted for them next. needs met. faith must continue.

during this difficult time when our schools are closed and our weaknesses are on display and our church buildings are empty and our 401ks are uncertain and loneliness is heightened and our discouragements are rampant and our political discourse is rancid and our futures are unknown … it can be tempting to long and pray for the solving miracle and miss out on a presently unfolding provision miracle.

god’s pattern is usually to give us what we need, forcing us to trust him for tomorrow.

a new opportunity, a small residual check you didn’t see coming, a friend sending dinner to help you out, these are god’s typical ways … you probably aren’t going to win the powerball. an unexpected joke that makes you laugh til your side hurts, a connection with an old friend on facebook, kind words spoken in season, these might be your daily manna.

little bread crumbs of faithfulness, slowly building a trail that takes you out of the forest. because again (this theme comes up here often), god doesn’t need our hands, he wants our hearts. and he gets our hearts when our circumstances force more trust.

it probably won’t all happen at a giant moment, but in dozens of little miraculous moments that will blow your mind if you open your eyes to see them.

don’t become so focused on looking for the big thing that you lose sight of the miraculous thing right in front of you.

KG Korner

(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)

If I am being honest, I feel really tired.

Tired of the bad news.

Tired of COVID-19.

Tired of mom-ing 24/7.

Tired of wife-ing.

Tired of myself.

Tired of seeing everyone in masks with fear in their eyes.

Tired of (the unfair) weight on families of nurses, doctors, grocery workers, small & big businesses alike.

Tired when I go to sleep.

Tired of the unknown.

Tired of the messes everywhere in my house {that don’t magically get cleaned up in the night}.

Tired when I wake up in the morning.

And I’m guessing if you are anything like me (even if a few things are different) you could make a list of things you are tired of too. That’s the beauty of being in this together we can all understand the tension we are feeling. I believe Jesus can meet us right in our tiredness as he says in his Word.
It got me thinking about the scriptures leading to Jesus’ death. If you haven’t read them recently the gist of it is that following the last supper, Jesus asked the disciples to come with him as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. They were to ‘watch and pray’ about a stones throw away from him while he prayed alone. But he checked on them three different times and every single time they fell asleep. Doesn’t it just make you a tad happy when people in the Bible do something entirely human? It’s relieving when they feel the weight of everything they have seen and heard going on and they are so weighed down by it all that they can’t stay awake! We don’t know the tone of how he said what he did but Jesus said the same exact thing in Matthew 26:41 & Mark 14:38 {and something very similar to it in Luke 22:46} :

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

You see, if we aren’t careful we will fall into the temptation to let these feelings of tiredness be our compass for the day and the fact is that they will always, always, always sell us short! To one degree or another we have seen how weak our flesh is in these weeks of quarantine, whether that means we can’t stay away from the pantry, we need duck tape for our mouths or the temptation to fear this, that or the other thing is alive and well.

One of the ways that has helped me to curb my tiredness in the morning and afternoon and night amongst the coffee and fresh air is gratitude. These lovely hymn lyrics say it best:

“Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God hath done; count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”

Praying for a blessed easter for you all - you are loved.

cup of leadership

in this strange time … its easy to get caught up in false realities, this cup from last year expounds on a critically important idea for healthy living, radical acceptance.
no amount of wanting or blaming or lamenting can change reality. what is, is.
the willingness to embrace it is critical path to current happiness + future success. energy invested in wishing it turned out different is wasted because it allows my mind to wander away from reality into day dreaming.
i am a sinner. nothing can change that, and it can’t be repaired through jesus without acknowledgment of it. that’s radical acceptance.
our marriage broke.
he failed out of school.
i am bankrupt.
that dream won’t happen the way i thought.

what if the next time someone expressed an emotion to you, before you affirm it or try to adjust it, you simply accepted it? she feels envious/nervous/trapped etc.
when someone is described as a good listener, typically that’s what’s being responded to, they engage without immediate assessment. when we acknowledge what is whether internally or relationally, propelling towards the target of love is much easier.

really liked this book. have always appreciated seth godin’s combo of tough love and ‘you can do it’ vibes. the core ideas are about doing the hard work of making something great and earning permission to sell it to your group. godin’s philosophy is to stay away from gimmicks and do long term work that matters. in this online heavy moment where every w 100x more influence than you have seems to produce endless opportunities for envy, i think these sensibilities will inspire and instruct you.

i started reading this when it seemed like america might be considering electing a socialist president. recommended by a great friend (thx fierce ) if you can get past the partisan jostling, there is a lot of concise, data based brilliant analysis here. in theology, we are taught that there are no new ideas, just re-packaged versions of old heresies. in reading this book, i came to realize the same is true in politics. are there lots of inequities and injustices in our version of capitalism? yes. is choosing a system that has never worked and only ever ruined lives and empowered despots the answer? probably not

content this week

my last two wednesday messages are up on podcast + an interview i did on marriage/family during quarantine w. my old friend darrin patrick .. check it out.

listen now